Keeping the peace
by The Grey Company
Summary: The war is over, the Emperor is dead, and the world seems to be headed to a brighter future. But forces are already at work to bring the world back under the yolk of tyranny. Old ghosts must rise again to ensure the safety of the peace they fought for.
1. Chapter 1

**Keeping the Peace**

**a Code Geass Fanfic by the Grey Company**

**Code Geass isn't mine, unfortunately**

**Tokyo Settlement, Japan – Four months after the assassination of Emperor Lelouch:**

Kallen sat alone on a park bench near the border of the Tokyo settlement and the former Shinjuku ghetto. It was a Saturday, and as usual, she was frittering away her time going between various malls and shops. She let herself slump, hanging her head down in defeat._ Sigh._ _It's no use. I can't seem to get over it. No matter what I do, my life seems to be empty. I decided to go back to school to give myself a future, but every day just grinds past. Even my visits to my old friends in the black knights seem only routine. What is wrong with me? Am I missing something? _Her reverie was broken by the feeling of cloth sweeping over her leg. She looked up to see a gray cloaked man, his face obscured by a white cloth under a wide brimmed straw hat. The outfit seemed more suited to traveling the sunlit countryside than in the relative shadows of the city.

"Kallen Kozuki." The voice was muffled by the cloth over his face, but seemed strangely familiar to her.

"Yeah, that's me. What do you want?"

"I would like to talk to you, someplace more... discreet." The request piqued her interest.

"Alright." Despite her better judgment, she found herself following the masked man. _Who is this guy? And why do I feel like I know him from somewhere?_ Despite her misgivings, She continued to follow him through an ever more winding path into the Shinjuku ghetto. They took a turn at every corner, doubled back, and seemingly went in a circle. Finally, they arrived at their apparent destination, a small alleyway in the nearly finished second sector of the former ghetto. The workers were off duty, and no one was within two blocks, save them.

"Alright, mister, I'm tired of this little chase you've led me on. Let's see who you really are." In a sudden flash, her hand struck out at his hat, pulling it and his cloth off his head. She stepped back in disbelief.

"Well, Miss Kozuki. It has been too long."

"Lelouch..." Kallen began, "but... but, How? Why?"

"I always hated leaving loose ends, and there's still so much yet to do." He smiled at her.

"And besides, I was never truthfully able to give you an answer to your question."

For a few moments she stood stunned. Then, she began to growl, her face contorting with rage. "YOU. LYING. BASTARD!" she punctuated each word with a punch, causing Lelouch to stagger backwards. "YOU PUT ME THROUGH ALL THAT DURING THE REBELLION," She grabbed him by his collar and smashed him against the wall "AND AS EMPEROR," She punched him hard in the gut, causing him to double over, "AND ONLY NOW YOU TELL ME!" She threw him onto the ground, then picked him up again. "I CAN'T BELIEVE YOU HAVE THE GUTS TO COME BACK AFTER YOU BROKE MY HEART AND TELL ME THAT YOU WERE LYING!" Lelouch hung limply in her grip. "I... I Can't," Tears began steaming out of her eyes, "Oh, Lelouch." She wrapped her arms around him and kissed him, cradling his head in her arms. Weakly at first, she felt him returning the kiss, then stronger, straightening up and taking his weight off Kallen's hands.

Slowly breaking the kiss, she pushed him away from her. He smiled, seemingly unharmed by her previous fusillade. Looking down at his hand she found the blood red mark she had seen seen surrounding his pupil so many times.

"I take it you understand now."

"Yes... I am glad you came back."

"Good. We have a job to do, Q-1" Her old callsign set her on edge, as it had in the past, anticipating another move from her leader. "The current Zero is not the one who killed me."

"WHAT!"

"Small, but not intangible signs from the behavior of the current zero don't match up with my expectations for Suzaku, corresponding with some interesting data I mined out of the system. Of equal significance to this is discovering the whereabouts of Suzaku. I am worried bout him."

"How... When did this happen?"

"He appeared to be doing fine for the first few months as zero, but then something changed. It took me a little bit to notice, but a few things slipped through that were particularly un-suzaku like," he motioned to her to follow him out of the alleyway, redressing the cloth that had hidden his face and once again donning his wide brimmed straw hat. "I did some research and a few other disturbing trends appeared. The paychecks given out by several major government weapons producers well exceed the amount that would be expected given the amount of money being paid by their on-record contracts. A simple mistake revealing otherwise well hidden extra operations. Similarly, many of the reconstruction programs don't appear to be receiving the amount of money they are officially allocated. Thanks to the spy network Diethard set up and seemingly never exposed, I amassed a ton of correlating data that led to the conclusion that someone has plans to start a massive campaign. The only thing that makes sense is a reconquest. The restoration of the Britannian Empire by whoever has taken the guise of Zero, perhaps even more, the creation of a worldwide Britannian Empire." By this time, they were walking through the crowded street.

"Maybe we should continue this talk someplace more secure. My house?"

"That will do fine, Kallen"

* * *

Lelouch hung his cloak on the hooks near the door, revealing his old student uniform under it. Kallen led him into the living room, seating him on the sofa before she headed into the kitchen. He took the time to look around. The Kozuki house was a simple apartment, bland in coloration, but allowing in quite a bit of light despite its urban location. The only strange thing was a fire burning in the fireplace in the front of the room, despite it not being particularly cold. Kallen returned from the kitchen with a kettle of water, and hung it on the fireplace.

"This is a nice place you have here." Lelouch commented offhandedly.

"It's plenty for my mother and I." She sat down on the couch next to Lelouch and snuggled under his arm. "Now, I suppose you'll want to get on with that little briefing you were giving me." Lelouch chuckled and smiled down at his knight.

"Yes, perhaps I should." He used his free hand to pull a crumpled piece of paper out of his uniform. "This is a list of people who I told Suzaku to reveal his identity to, just in case it would be used against him. You should be able to trust them. Tomorrow, I'd like you to try to meet up with as many of them as possible and inform them of the situation. However, I would only trust Tohdoh and Chiba with the news that I have returned. The others might not take it so well." Unconsciously, Lelouch began stroking Kallen's side. He continued on talking, not noticing her happily contorting face. "I would talk to Tohdoh first, and then put it to the rest as voicing their concerns rather than my own. I want to get into contact with Tohdoh soon. The only way to solve this without destroying Zero's name is to stage a coup d'état and replace this Zero with myself. It will take some planning, as..." He was interrupted by a sudden outburst of giggling. "What's so funny?"

"You're tickling me!" she exclaimed in between fits of laughing.

"Oh, am I? I didn't notice." he said playfully, as he leaned over her and prepared to tickle her even more.

"Stop it!" she said with a smile on her face as she held his arms away from her sides

"I didn't realize you were so ticklish on your sides." By this time he was laughing too, struggling vainly to get out of her grip.

"Time to turn the tide!" She said as she forced his arms to his side and pinned him against the back of the couch. She then proceeded to slide him under her, reversing their positions from before. "Now, let's find out what weaknesses you have, Lelouch!" She dove into him, both of them giggling like little girls.

They heard the door swing open. Immediately, they both fell silent.

"Kallen?" Her mother's voice was confused as ever, "Why are you on all fours like that?"

"Um... Mother..."

"Good afternoon Mrs. Kozuki." Lelouch said as he appeared from behind the couch.

"Lelouch!" Kallen whispered harshly, "What are you planning?"

"Don't worry about it Kallen. Your mother was addicted to Refrain, right?" he whispered back, then to her mother, "It's a pleasure to meet you."

"Oh, yes, you too."

"Yes, so?" Kallen whispered to him again

"Overuse of refrain causes a lapse in the memory holding parts of your brain. She probably doesn't remember much from that time that I was Zero, or even emperor."

"Kallen?" Her mother asked in a slightly confused tone, "Who is this man in our house?"

"His name is Lelouch Lamprouge... He's my boyfriend."

The kettle whistled.

"Well, then. I'm sure I could get him some tea at least." Kallen slumped back in relief.

"She usually doesn't come home this early. I wonder what's going on?" Kallen said to Lelouch as her mother took the boiling water into the kitchen.

"We'll have to find out." They waited patiently, sitting in silence. A few minutes later, Mrs. Kozuki emerged from the kitchen with a tray holding three teacups and a teapot. The cups were already filled with tea, and she set one in front of both Lelouch and Kallen. All three took an appreciative sip.

"Now, Kallen, Why was I never told that you had a boyfriend?" Kallen searched for a plausible explanation that wouldn't reveal the true nature of their connection.

"Um.. well, we got together again just a little bit ago... We knew each other from school, and we were kind of warming up to each other during the war. He asked me out just a week before the Black Knights liberated Japan. We got separated shortly afterwords and I didn't think I would see him again. But then he came back and found me."

"Well, it's good that you've found someone at least."

"Yes, mother."

"And you, young man," she pointed at Lelouch, "Don't you dare try anything untoward to my daughter. If I hear of even one little thing, I will do everything in my power to make your life a living hell, you understand me?" The effect she was trying to create was obviously lost on Lelouch, who sat impassively through her little speech.

"Mom, I'm more than capable of handling that myself. You know that." Kallen's mother sighed.

"I know, I know. I just have to look out for you. I wouldn't know what to do with myself if I didn't."

"I understand, Mrs. Kozuki. Between you and me, I don't think I could harm you, much less your daughter. My lack of athleticism is rather legendary around our school."

"That's good, then. I'm sure you must be a good person if my Kallen loves you enough to bring you home with her."

"Yes. Yes he most certainly is. Now mother, what brings you home so early? You're usually at work for another three hours." Kallen seemed slightly annoyed and on edge. "Did you get fired again?"

"Oh, no, it was nothing like that. They just closed down the plant. No explanation why, they just told us to go home for the day. I was certainly happy. I was going to call you and ask you to come home and enjoy the extra time with me, but you were already home." Lelouch seemed to perk up a bit, and leaned forward in interest.

"Where do you work, Mrs. Kozuki?"

"Britannian Royal Armaments, facility 11-3. It's the preeminent knightmare ammunition factory in all of Japan."

"I see..." Lelouch crossed his legs and folded his hands, contemplating the possible implications. Kallen decided to continue the conversation.

"Well, its good you got off work. Are they still paying you the full day's wage?"

"I hope so. I do recall them saying they would, but who knows with these corporate types."

"Yeah, I know what you mean. I have the unfortunate pleasure of knowing several students that are stamped for that kind of work. It's really sad that they get lined up for it so early."

"Yes. What can you do though?"

"I don't know."

They settled into a comfortable silence, Lelouch still deep in thought, Kallen contentedly leaning on him and sipping on her tea, her mother smiling at the two of them. _Ah, if only this time could last forever. _Kallen thought, as Lelouch absentmindedly put his arm around her shoulders. Ten minutes passed like this, but to her it seemed like hours, just sitting there happily snuggled up against her love, finally returning her feelings after all this time. Finally, Lelouch broke the silence.

"Mrs. Kozuki, I'd like to ask you a favor."

"Sure, dear. I'd be happy to help you."

"Could you let me stay here for awhile? I was evicted from my apartment on very short notice. Apparently there were plans to convert it into some sort of office or something that no one was told of. So I'm sort of at loose ends. Would that be alright with you?" Kallen's face lit up.

"Please, Mother?" she asked in her cutest voice, "I promise we'll be good."

"Oh, alright dear. I don't suppose it could be that bad."

"Excellent. Now, I should probably go get my bags. I left them with a friend, but they're not too far from here. Kallen, could you come help me?"

"Sure, Lelouch."

As they left, Lelouch donned his hat and cloak, making sure his face was totally obscured. Kallen considered taking his hand, but thought better of it, seeing as they were already rather conspicuous and didn't need any more unwanted attention. Lelouch began talking the minute they hit the sidewalk.

"I've considered the possibilities about the factory's random closure. The worst case scenario is that the factory is serving as a secret holding place for knightmares, and that they are being readied for battle this very moment. As there isn't much we could do about it at this point, I put this out of my mind. Aside from simple maintenance issues, the most probable explanation is that the early closing of the arms factory is due to the organization of a large and secret arms shipment. If the shipment is large enough to warrant three extra hours preparing it, then it means that whoever it is going to has a lot of new knightmares they need armed. Which means that the troop buildup, in this area at least, has hit critical mass."

"So we're going to have to act quickly. Otherwise they'll spring on us and reestablish the empire before we can get to them."

"Exactly. One thing doesn't make sense though. The spy network hasn't noticed an increase in devicers or support personnel in the army. Nor have they noticed a decrease of able but retired devicers in the populace. Which leads me to wonder, where is he getting enough manpower to pilot all these machines?"

"Maybe he's taking people directly from the academy... but even then, they wouldn't be nearly enough to serve him on a global scale. Where is he getting the money to pay for all this anyway?

"I don't know..." he paused a moment in contemplation. "Kallen, could you talk to Todoh tonight?"

"Not a chance. Todoh always takes off on Saturdays to spend time with Chiba. No one has been able to find him on those days yet, and trust me, we've tried."

"Hmmm... In that case, I'm going to need you to do a few things for me. When you go to see Tohdoh tomorrow, I'd like you to ask him for the locations of super secure safe houses with few guards or inmates. If Suzaku is being held in a place we know about, he'll be in one of those. In addition, if you could get his phone number for me, or at least give him mine, I would very much appreciate it. Also, could you tell him to hide the Guren and his Zangetsu? I would rather they not fall into enemy hands if we can't get to them." Kallen chuckled.

"What am I now, your errand girl?" She asked, with more affection than anything.

"Of course. You know I can't show my face in public. Which reminds me, do you still have your Zero outfit from our fun little expedition at the SAZ?"

"I do. I kept it in my closet as a reminder of you through all our different homes during the war. Fortunately, I didn't have time to destroy it when you turned emperor." Lelouch snickered at that last comment.

"That's good. I'm sure I'll find a way to adjust it to my fit, for the moment. If you don't mind, of course."

"It's okay. I don't think I'll be wearing it again."

"Good." Lelouch stopped and looked around. "I think we're going to need a taxi."

"Now you tell me. There was one just when we left!"

"I wasn't paying attention."

"Of course not."

The two spent the next five minutes waiting for a taxi to come by until finally one arrived. The trip to Lelouch's hiding place and back was uneventful, spent in silence to avoid arousing the driver's suspicion. When they arrived back at Kallen's house, a little note stuck out of the door.

_Gone shopping. Be home around eight._

"That gives us plenty of time alone, doesn't it?" Lelouch injected a curiously sly tone into his voice. Kallen blushed as she unlocked the door.

"So it does."

* * *

**Review if you have something to say, even if it's just hate comments. **

**Hopefully chapter two will be up by the new year, or maybe even earlier. Who can say?  
**


	2. Chapter 2

**Zero's Office, Black Knight HQ: **

"The talks with the UFN of incorporating Britannia and the other non-aligned nations are being stalled by the Britannian representatives, as per your orders. The UFN appears to be getting somewhat restless. However, no vote to increase the readiness of the Black Knights has occurred. Secret troop buildup in the Areas and inside the UFN border is progressing satisfactorily." Schneizel finished his summary, laying the full report in paper upon Zero's desk.

"Very good, Schneizel. You are dismissed." The former 2nd prince clicked his heels and bowed his head in a brief salute, then walked purposefully out of the door. The masked man turned to the man in the shadows.

"What do you make of it?"

"Well, my lord, everything seems to be falling into place, just as you said it would." The man's face was inscrutable behind the mask of Zero, but it seemed to him that it emanated a rather haughty presence.

"And our friend in the dungeon?"

"As resisting as ever. He still won't say a word, and we've almost killed him three times."

"That's... unfortunate." The mechanical voice of the mask conveyed a surprising amount of the disappointment of the wearer. Even after all the time he had spent around Zero, the man in the shadows still could not get used to the humanity of the machine voice.

"Quite so. Unfortunately, we'll have to let him recover for another couple of weeks after the last time we interrogated him." The masked man let out a frustrated sigh.

"I had hoped to get to the bottom of this man sooner. I must know why the emperor's most loyal henchman would kill him. Was it planned? If it was, why? So many questions, yet so few answers."

"Yes my lord. Pertaining to that, we may have another way to that answer."

"What?"

"I did a check on my agents. Someone under the guise of Zero has been giving them orders. They were told to investigate certain companies we have contracted to rebuild our military strength. May I assume you did not give these orders?"

"Yes, you may."

"Then we have a problem on our hands. I suggest we accelerate our timetable and begin as soon as possible. If someone we cannot bribe is onto our plot, then we have very little time."

"Yes. I will also increase my personal security and prepare an emergency escape route. Who knows when this other Zero will strike?"

"Just so, my lord. Once we identify this other Zero, we can also begin to search and capture him. Perhaps he will be more free with his knowledge."

"Quite right. Oh, and begin sending our invitations to loyal devicers. We still don't have quite enough men to enact our grand scheme. I will be leaving the final preparations to you. If we are to be moving soon, I must compose my speech."

"As you wish."

**Kozuki house, The next day: **

Kallen awoke to the smell of bacon in the air. Quickly getting on her bathrobe, she went out to the kitchen to investigate. To her surprise, she found Lelouch making scrambled eggs, a white apron over his old student's uniform.

"Oh, hello Kallen."

"Good Morning Lelouch," she said, her voice bright despite her obvious lack of sleep. "I didn't know you could cook."

"I got a lot of practice traveling around the Japanese countryside with C.C. We wanted to have as little exposure to the public as possible, so we cooked for ourselves most of the time. C.C. would go into town and buy us some food with the money we stashed away while I was emperor, then we would hide it on the cart under a layer of hay. Unfortunately, C.C. Had a penchant for finding her favorite food, even in the remotest part of the country. After that journey, I don't think I want to see another pizza in my life." Kallen chuckled.

"Where's she now?"

"Still wandering the country I would imagine. I fulfilled her contract, and she's interested in reaping the benefits. She may come back later, though. Who knows?" He took out a plate and placed the strips of bacon and the egg on it. "Do you like bacon and eggs?"

"Oh do I!" she said with eagerness. "It's been years since anyone cooked that in my house. Not since my father left to go back to Britannia... Oh, father..."

"I'm sorry, Kallen..."

"It's okay. He had his reasons for effectively abandoning me and my brother. I just wish he could have stayed with us to the end..." Lelouch set the plate down in front of her, and smiled.

"Then eat this, and remember the good times you had with him." Kallen smiled back.

"Thanks, Lelouch." She leaned over, and kissed him.

After breakfast, Kallen put on her Black Knights uniform. As she went to the door, Lelouch approached her.

"Here," Lelouch handed Kallen a folded piece of paper, "In case you forget what I'd like you to do."

"Thanks." She tucked it into her uniform. "I'll see you later Lelouch."

"You too."

She left, walking down a few blocks and taking the subway to the Black Knights Headquarters.

**Mobile Research Station _Camelot_: **

"This is brilliant, Cecile!" Lloyd slowly spun around in circles, taking in the entire thing. The main bay was just as spacious as any other facility he had used, though the ceiling was a bit low. "How on earth did you manage it?"

"Emperor Lelouch was rather generous with his funding, and I thought we could use something designed specifically for our needs. He left enough money to finish the project after he died."

"Hoo hoo, All hail Lelouch indeed. Did you move the new Lancelot prototype in?"

"Yes. I tested the heavy lifting devices while bringing it in, and they work perfectly. The fabricators are also functional, though I haven't tested the quality of their products yet."

"Excellent, now, just to move in." Lloyd turned to leave, but stopped in mid step. "Perhaps we should go on an inspection of the living quarters first."

The living spaces were near the bow of the ship, above the fabrication machines and the main engine. It was almost like a small flat in a ship; two small bedrooms, a living room, an office, and a kitchen. Lloyd took a look into the bedroom, which was already very nicely decorated with wallpaper and furniture.

"Oh, wow Cecile, you've put a lot of work into this. I assume that my room is the steel gray one over there."

"Not quite..."

"Eh?"

"Well, since I figured we were going to take on a devicer or two... I was planning on you staying in this room with me."

"That's very kind of you Cecile, However, I see no place for me to sleep."

"Oh, that's easy." She walked over to the wall by a large oaken desk. She pressed a button, and a bed slid out under the desk, coming out so that its headrest fit perfectly into the space usually occupied by a chair. Lloyd walked over to inspect it.

"Ingenious. And this slides under the cargo compartment in the hallway. Quite good."

"I'm glad you think so." Lloyd sat down on the bed.

"Ah, it feels like home already." He laid down. "Cecile," he said as he closed his eyes, "Could you be bothered to go get my bags... I'm feeling rather enervated at the moment." She giggled under her breath as he began snoring. Once she was sure he was asleep, she gave him a little kiss on the cheek and went to get their various belongings.

**Black Knights HQ:**

Kallen walked through the foyer of the main building of the Black Knights Headquarters. She smiled as she saw Tamaki hitting on the pretty clerk at the main desk. She headed over there to ask where Tohdoh had gone.

"Hey, Kallen!" Ohgi waved from the other side of the room and began walking toward her.

"Hi Ohgi!" She couldn't help but keep a wide grin stretched across her face as he came over to her.

"Good to see you again. You don't come here too often anymore."

"Well, you know, school takes up a lot of time."

"Yeah. I came here to talk to Tohdoh, actually."

"What for?"

"Can't tell you, real hush-hush, you know." She put a finger to her lips, making a funny face that elicited a small laugh out of Ohgi.

"You know, you're acting unusually peppy today. Something going on?"

"No, not really."

"Ooh, she's infatuated with someone I bet." Tamaki had apparently given up on his earlier activity to come over and harass her. "Ever since 'our dearest emperor' left us she's been down like a sad old dog just waiting to die." His sardonic tone lit a fire under Kallen.

"Hey, do I need to have a reason to be happy?"

"Getting all defensive, eh? I must be right! So, who's the lucky man?"

"None of your business." She began walking towards the elevator.

"Ohhh, I bet you dug the emperor out of his grave! How does it feel to be the cold cadaver's lover, huh?" Kallen's anger boiled over.

"What is your Problem!" She yelled, and punched Tamaki in the face hard enough to throw him down onto the floor. "Hmpf." She walked into the elevator and closed the door.

Ohgi smirked at him

"Saw that coming."

**Gottwald Farm:**

A black car with tinted windows pulled up to the main driveway. Two black suited men got out. From the kitchen, Jeremiah saw them approach the front door. He continued to dry off an orange that had accidentally fallen into the sink as he walked over to greet them.

"How may I help you?"

"Jeremiah Gottwald. You piloted a knightmare for the Britannian Empire, with an excellent combat record."

"That is correct. However, it's been a while since I've been a devicer." _What are they up to?_

"You were also extremely loyal to your Emperor and fellow aristocrats."

"It's been even longer since I was a Purist." _This does not sound good..._

"Those concerns aside, we would like you to join us, and pilot a knightmare frame in the name of restoring you and your kinsmen back to their proper positions. I am sure that you will be able to regain your former disposition in no time at all." Jeremiah let out a low chuckle.

"You boys have got it all wrong." He held up the orange in his hand. "THIS IS THE COLOR OF MY LOYALTY!" He threw the orange into the face of the first agent, then quickly unsheathed his blade and impaled the second before either of them could draw their weapons. Recovering from his surprise, the first managed to get his gun out of his jacket, but not soon enough. Gottwald's blade found its mark again, and cut him clean in half. Jeremiah paused a moment, then reached down and picked up the orange, putting it into his cloak.

"Anya!" The pink haired girl appeared from her hiding place behind the curtains. "Pack your things. We're going to pay Zero a visit."

**Tohdoh's Office, Black Knights HQ:**

Kallen found Tohdoh kneeling on the wooden floor of his office, his head bowed in contemplation, eyes closed. The flag of Japan hung in front of him, and the door was to his side. She stepped quietly through the doorway, trying not to disturb him.

"What is it, Kallen?" She stepped back in surprise, as she often did when she had to interrupt his meditating.

"How do you always know its me?"

"Two things. Number one, anything that actually needs me these days will result in a call to my office phone. The only people who actually come here are here to have a friendly chat. And you're the only one who does this on a regular basis. Number two, you mutter to yourself, and this wing is empty." Kallen smacked her palm against her head.

"Do you think anyone else could hear me?"

"I doubt it. I couldn't make out your words, just your voice."

"Good." She walked to the doorway, checked to make sure that there was no one around, and closed the door.

"What I'm telling you now is confidential. This is only to be discussed with me." Tohdoh nodded. She took a deep breath. "Lelouch is back."

"Already?" he stared pensively at the floor. "This does not bode well."

"It gets worse. He says that the current zero is not Suzaku." Tohdoh let out a frustrated snarl. "He wants you to contact him, here's the number he gave me." She brought out the paper Lelouch had given her this morning, and tore off the bottom, handing it to Tohdoh. He grimaced as he read the small briefing it contained.

"I had suspected as much, but I had no proof. I wish I had acted on it." He folded up the paper and put it into the pocket of his old JLF/Army uniform. "I can do everything he asks, but I'm going to need your help."

"Huh?"

"We're going to go out on a little training exercise on our personal knightmares."

**Kozuki House:**

Lelouch spent most of the morning re-proportioning Kallen's zero suit. While not exactly the same as his original, it was close enough, and Lelouch's slender frame fit closely to Kallen's size. By lunchtime, he fit comfortably into the suit. Unfortunately, he would have to get a new helmet, as hers didn't fit, and it had no voice scrambler built in. However, if all went well, he would be able to go out into the public as Zero in a day or two. Throughout the afternoon, he went over his plans in his head as he waited for Tohdoh's call.

_ We'll want to take out the new zero as quickly as possible, but I believe we have time to prepare. Things indicate that he'll be able to move soon, but he doesn't have the manpower yet to pilot enough machines. It will take him at least a week to muster everyone he needs, and if we can strike before then, __his plan will be over before it started. We can dismantle his operations, and that will be the end of it. But what if he escapes? Then he'll almost certainly be able to launch his takeover before we can find him. And if that's the case..._ Lelouch picked up his cell phone and dialed in a number.

_ "Hello?"_

"Ah, Sayoko. Good to hear your voice again."

_"So you're back, my lord."_

"Is there anyone around you?"

_"No one important."_

"Alright then, I need you to be ready to get Nunnally out of there. If I'm right, it may be necessary to evacuate her to a safe house very soon, and in a hurry. Make sure its one only you and your closest confederates know about. Even the royal guard may turn on you, and quicker than anyone would expect. Stay by her side at all times, and be prepared to leave. Understood?"

_"Of course, my lord. I will ensure it is done."_

"Thank you, Sayoko. I appreciate all you do for us."

_"I'm just doing my job."_

"You do it exceptionally well. I will call you if the situation changes." He thumbed off the phone. One less thing to worry about.

**Main Hangar, Black Knights HQ:**

"Guren and Zangetsu, you are cleared to leave. Have a good time!" The doors opened. The Guren and Zangetsu dropped their wheels, and rolled out. Kallen and Tohdoh activated their Float systems and headed for the sky.

"Alright Colonel, so what now?" Tohdoh checked to make sure that their connection was secure.

"We're going to have to act as if we're actually going on maneuvers. I told them that we were going to do a field test on how long our batteries will last on readied reserve."

"Readied reserve?"

"A new feature, it's a power conservation measure mostly for guard duty that allows a unit to be powered up in a second and be ready for battle, but be using minimum power before hand. It's essentially a streamline of what most devicers do manually, but most of our designers don't know that, and it provides a good excuse to have the Guren and Zangetsu disappear for awhile."

"So we're just going to park them in our hiding spot, power down, and leave?"

"Exactly. If my guess is correct, by the time anyone really comes looking for them, this whole thing will be over. As a bonus, we also get out of a potentially bugged base to make my call to Zero."

"Alright. Where exactly are we going?"

"I put in that we are headed to a rural area not far from Tokyo. Once we get there, which should be in a few minutes, we're going to switch off our transponders, and head out. If we get a call about it, we'll say its a malfunction due to the readied reserve. I put someone I trust not to bother us on the duty roster for our time slot, so that shouldn't be a problem. From there, we're going to go deep in the woods. There's a place we hid our Burais during the JLF resistance that was never discovered. We'll leave our knightmares there and hopefully we will find a car to take us back to civilization. If not, I did bring rations along for the both of us that should last a two day trek."

"Nothing to worry about then, is there."

"Nothing at all." Several minutes passed before Tohdoh dialed down the float unit, and landed. Kallen followed him. She waited a few minutes, then turned off her transponder.

"Transponder's off."

"As is mine. Now, Lets see if I can remember where that hiding spot is..."

**Kozuki House:**

It wasn't until evening that Lelouch received the call he was waiting for.

"Hello?"

_"Hey Lelouch. Sorry it took us so long to get to you. Of all the cars to choose, Tohdoh here decided to go with the most run down, beat up vehicle I have ever seen, a vintage 2006 Army staff car."_ Lelouch could hear muffled objections coming from Tohdoh in the background "_As you might imagine it didn't go as far as we would have liked, so we had to slog it out on foot. Fortunately, we managed to hitch a ride into town once we hit the main road and found our way to a nice out of the way spot."_

"That's good at least. Can I talk to him?"

_"Sure." _Lelouch heard the phone change hands.

_"Alright Zero, What do you want me to do?"_

"Good to hear you again Tohdoh. I need two things from you. The first is a possible location for Suzaku. As I wrote in the briefing he has gone missing, and I suspect that he is being held in an isolated prison location, likely a black knights one."

_"There's only one place I can think of that I would put a person who I didn't want to be seen by anyone. The maximum security cells in the depths of HQ. There hasn't been anyone in the detention area for months, and it would be more than easy to sneak in food and put one one of his men on guard duty if he is posing as Zero."_ Lelouch smiled

"That sounds like a perfect fit. It would be the easiest place to keep him, and with little risk of discovery," Lelouch paused a moment to think. "That makes our plan easier. How long do you think it would take you to gather a group of people whose loyalty to you is unquestioned?"

_"Probably a day to track down all of them, and keep it hushed up." _

_ "_Good. Now, could you put Kallen back on?" The phone changed hands again.

_ "Yes?"_

"How mad would your mother be if ten to twenty people randomly showed up at her door?"

_"I think she would be a little put off, but she would welcome them. Hopefully. If you forewarned her, I don't think there would be a problem."_

"Excellent. Alright, I need to talk to Tohdoh one last time."

_"Sure." _Lelouch heard her give the phone back.

_"So, what's the plan, Zero?"_

"I would like to talk to your compatriots personally. Could you invite them to a gathering at Kallen's house tomorrow evening? Anyone who can't come can be briefed later, but I would prefer that they do. Try to get people to arrive around seven o'clock or so."

_"I will do that. I assume I will be coming as well?"_

"Of course."

_"In that case, I will see you tomorrow at seven."_ He handed the phone back to Kallen.

_ "Lelouch, I'm going to go home on the bus. Hopefully I'll be there in an hour or so, Okay?"_

"I'll see you then." Lelouch closed the phone and pocketed it. _An hour, eh? _He smiled to himself. _That should be enough time to cook up a little something._ He got up off the couch and went to work.

* * *

**As always, feedback is very much appreciated. **

**From here on out, I'm going to try to put out a new chapter every 2-4 weeks. Depending on the situation at school and my other myriad obligations, it may be sooner or later. I'll do my best to keep putting out at least one a month as a minimum.  
**


	3. Chapter 3

**Chapter 3**

* * *

The house was dark when Kallen got home. The door was unlocked, but there was no sign of anyone there. As she walked in, she caught the whispers of ambient string music and saw a faint glow coming from the dining room.

"Lelouch?" She softly questioned.

"Come in, Kallen." His voice wafted to her ears. She rounded the corner into the dining room. A delighted gasp escaped her lips. "Do you like it?" Lelouch stood beside the table, a napkin folded over his arm. Two candles radiated the only light in the room. A few plates and bowls held a variety of dishes, and two places were set on either side of the table.

"I do. I never thought you had the romantic mind for something like this, Lelouch."

"I can surprise people sometimes." He motioned to the chair nearest to him. "Please, sit down." Lelouch laid the napkin over her lap as she did so, and then took the other seat. "I'm sorry I couldn't make anything nicer, but my cooking skills aren't exactly up to making anything fancy and I didn't have enough time to go out and buy anything."

"Wait, you weren't planning this the entire time?" Lelouch laughed.

"Well, I sort of wanted to do this at some point, and when you called, I thought it would be a great time to surprise you. After all, I don't think we'll have another chance to do this for awhile."

"Why not?"

"If we take out Zero I'll have to take his place at least until we find Suzaku, and probably longer. There will be much to do, and it might seem odd to some if Zero takes a sudden interest in a girl he had a certain affection for before..."

"If you think you're going to be able to put me on the back burner just because you're off playing Zero, you've got another thing coming. I'm not going to let your strange obsession with making a better world get in the way again."

"I didn't mean it that way. Making sure everything's back to normal will probably have us traveling all over. We'll be pretty busy."

"I'm sure you could pull some strings and arrange a dinner like this wherever we'll be going. It can't be that hard." Lelouch sighed in defeat.

"I suppose you're right. Speaking of dinner, we might want to get to it before it gets cold." They turned their attention to the food in front of them. Kallen took a heap of mashed potatoes and broccoli before going to the main dish, baked chicken breast covered in an array of spices. She cut herself a chunk and took a bite. An intense burning sensation erupted in her mouth only seconds afterwards. She ran into the kitchen and began .

Lelouch stared quizzically at Kallen as she rushed out of the room. He considered the piece of chicken he had on his fork. Shrugging, he bit into it. His face twisted in surprise, realizing his mistake a little too late. He joined Kallen in running into the kitchen.

"What the heck did you put in this?" Kallen said, in between gulps of water.

"I don't know," Lelouch scrambled to get a cup out of the cabinet. "It must be something in the seasonings." Still drinking down her tall glass of water, Kallen went over to a part of the counter where the bottles of peppers and spices were still open from when Lelouch made the seasoning. She spent a minute looking through them as Lelouch gratefully drained several glasses of water.

"Ah ha!" She pulled a container out of the pile. "Habanero flakes. Extremely hot." She set it down in front of him, its cap still off. "My mother very rarely uses this, and even then only sparingly. And yet here it is, nearly half empty." Lelouch tried to hide his guilty expression behind his glass of water.

"It was an honest mistake."

"How do you manage to accidentally dump half a thing of Habanero directly into your seasoning mix and not realize it?"

"I accidentally knocked it over and I let it be because I was in a hurry and I wasn't paying attention to what it was." Kallen sighed.

"Well, I guess that makes sense. We should probably try to salvage what's left of the meal." Lelouch nodded, setting down his empty cup.

"I'll go scrape off the chicken. Hopefully it'll still be edible." Lelouch left to go back to the dining room. She followed him after a few seconds.

They spent the next few minutes sitting quietly at the table. Lelouch had turned off the music on his way in. Kallen poured herself a glass of cranberry juice and went to work on her potatoes and broccoli while he painstakingly scraped off every bit of pepper off of the chicken pieces, staring down at the chicken without looking up. Kallen looked at him concernedly as she forked up her broccoli and ate it. Finally, Lelouch broke the silence.

"I'm sorry about this, Kallen."

"It's okay. I wasn't really expecting anything tonight and I was delightfully surprised. That you managed to put this together in the half an hour it took me to get home is pretty amazing." She put another piece of broccoli in her mouth.

"You think?" Kallen nodded, swallowing her food. Her smile was bright in the candle light, standing out against the dark background.

"Definitely. Especially considering how you've only been in this house for two days. And besides, it's the thought that counts, right?" She put a forkful of potatoes in her mouth.

"Plus," She said with her mouth full, "Your mashed potatoes are excellent." Lelouch chuckled, and returned her smile.

"In that case, I hope you wouldn't mind sampling the chicken?" He skewered the first chunk he had cleaned off and dropped it down on her plate. She cut herself a piece and took a bite.

"Not bad. You can still kinda taste the pepper, but I think it adds a bit of zest to it."

"That's good." Lelouch went on to the next piece, picking it off the pile.

"You don't have to clean off all four of them. I'm pretty full with just the potatoes and broccoli."

"Yeah. I guess I over cooked a little bit. I wasn't sure how hungry you'd be after your little trek."

"We had some rations with us for lunch, and while not particularly satisfying, they are definitely filling."

"I see. I guess I'll just clean off this piece for myself and have some mashed potatoes and broccoli."

The spent the rest of the meal chitchatting and sitting quietly. Kallen finished well before Lelouch. It took him awhile to eat, but the time passed fairly quickly for her, talking with him or just staring at him, particularly at those deep purple eyes of his. _I could get lost in those eyes, _she thought as she looked at him during a lull in their conversation, _And yet, I would be almost happy to..._ The dim light of the candles left much of his face in shadow, but shined brightly in his eyes, tinting them with a faint yellow glow. Her mind began to wander down other paths as she gazed into them, drifting off into daydream and fantasy. She stayed in that pleasant land until she was broken out of her reverie by Lelouch's voice.

"Kallen?" Lelouch's face seemed much closer than she remembered "Are you okay?"

"Hm?" she shook her head a moment, refocusing her attention. "Yeah, I'm fine." she noticed that he was now leaning towards her on the table.

"You sure?"

"Yeah. I was just thinking a bit. Why?"

"Because you've been staring straight at my face for the past ten minutes, seemingly without moving a muscle." He paused, setting down his fork and knife on his unfinished plate. "Makes me wonder what you're thinking about." Kallen blushed. Lelouch wiped his mouth off, got up, and walked over to her. He put his hand on her shoulder. "How much time do you think we have until your mother gets home?" She looked back at the clock in the living room.

"Half an hour maybe?" Lelouch reached down to her hand and pulled her up off the seat and into his arms.

"Well then, I think we ought to make the most of the time we have." As he leaned his head down to hers and she felt their lips touch, Kallen decided that might not be such a bad idea.

**Undisclosed Location:**

Suzaku awoke, but he could barely tell that he did. The room he was confined in was pitch black, only ever broken by the opening of a little slot in what he thought was the door. His one or two meals a day would then come through, followed once again by the darkness. He was often glad he couldn't see what he was eating.

He got up off his bed and felt his way along the wall to the back corners. To mark the time, he had taken some of the paste they gave him for his meals and smeared it on the wall in tally marks. The paste would dry within a meal or two, and he would sometimes run his finger along the wall to see how long he had been there. The impeccable internal clock he had developed during his time with the military told him about how long the days were, despite having no natural indication of time. However, he suspected he was off by a fair amount by this point. He mentally counted as his finger encountered the bumps on the wall. _39... 40... 41... 42... 43. Forty three days at the very least. Very likely many more. _He shivered slightly as he thought of the times he had blacked out from the torture. _I could have been in the hospital for weeks after each of those. They could have kept me sedated, and I would never have known. Black out, stay in the sedative netherworld during my treatment, then wake up back in the cell. _

He moved to the approximate center of the room to begin his usual regimen of personal exercises, trying to keep himself in shape to resist whatever torture would come next. It passed the time at the very least. He kept himself focused on the exercises, trying not to burden himself with thoughts. He began with 100 push-ups, followed by 200 sit-ups, stretches, a run in circles around the room, various hand to hand combat drills, and hand stand push ups, then ended with sparring with the wall, practicing his spinning kicks. After he completed this lengthy series of exercises, he sat down and crossed his legs, closing his eyes and leaving the sweat still dripping down his face. He found that the Buddhist style meditation he had learned under Tohdoh combined with the exercise kept him from losing his sanity. He used the time to hone his mind and cut through the pain of undernourishment and strenuous exercise. A drill for when he would need it most, during the interrogation.

He was long into his meditation before he was interrupted by the little slot opening again. The sweat all over his body had evaporated, adding to the dry crust of salt all over his skin. Suzaku didn't notice. He imagined that by now you could see a thin white film over his skin. His eyes opened, taking in the little bit of light. He heard the swish of the tray being slid through the slot. It closed a moment after. He felt his way over to the tray. Like always, the same set of semi-solid pastes and ration bars were arrayed on the tray, which was made of ice to prevent him from doing anything harmful with it.

As was his usual routine, he ate the paste that tasted like sand, tossed the paste that tasted like rotten bananas into the nearest corner, put the pair of ration bars on his lap, and reached for the cup he had made out of the hardened paste that he kept by the slot. Knowing the importance of keeping himself hydrated above any other food concerns, he wished to waste no more water. He took his tray and broke it into more manageable pieces, placing all his newly made ice cubes in in the cup. He put the ice cubes he couldn't fit into the cup in his mouth, and patiently waited for them to dissolve. He went back to his meditative position, taking another ice cube from the cup and placing it in his mouth every time the one already inside had dissolved. Occasionally he would break off a piece of the ration bar and eat it instead of putting another ice cube in his mouth. When all the ice was finished, and his ration bars eaten, he picked up the cup and drank down the water that had accumulated inside it. The mild taste of rotten banana accompanied the water, and Suzaku broke his pose to crawl down to the crack near the slot and set the cup down to dry. Then he went back to his meditation.

* * *

A few hours later, he heard the sound of a key clicking open the locks on his cell. His eyes opened, and he brought up his hand to shade his eyes from the bright light as the door opened, and three men entered, dressed in the uniforms of the black knights. Two of them, a slim blond with a perfectly chiseled face and a dour, unremarkable brunette covered him with sub-machine guns. The other, a monkey looking hulk with a bald head and protruding jaw, fastened the latches on his straitjacket. He recognized the man by the teeth he had knocked out with his foot the last time he had come to bring him from his cell. He had decided to act tough and try to manhandle him to the interrogation room. Suzaku would have none of it, and lashed out at him the only way he could. He smiled faintly to himself in satisfaction as the man lead him out of the room without once touching him.

The room was empty, save for an dingy white chair and a card table with a small console on it and a brown metal folding chair behind it. The only light was provided by an old hanging lamp with a metal lampshade, swaying gently from side to side, casting the room in a dull yellow glow. They strapped him to the chair and attached electrodes to him under his straitjacket. All the men left, save one, the dour man from before. He sat down at the table with the control console. All was still for a few minutes, and Suzaku began to wonder whether this was part of the interrogation, or a mix up in his captors. Then he noticed a shifting in the shadows, and the sound of hard soled shoes pacing back and forth on the metal floor.

"Well, well, Mr. Kururugi, you have certainly proved quite a mystery," The mildly English voice drifted to Suzaku's ears, seemingly coming out of nowhere, "And new mysteries are being revealed every time I come down here." The shifting resolved into the figure of a man as he took a step into the light. "Yet I still have so few answers." The man stopped. Suzaku still could not make out his face, as the light only seemed to fall on his legs. "Now, tell me. Why would you kill your emperor?" Suzaku remained adamantly silent, staring at the man's head. The man in the shadows sighed, putting his left hand to his face and turning away, beginning to pace again. "I should not be surprised." His hand left his face and pointed to the man at the desk. At once, Suzaku felt the agony of electricity coursing through his body. "I ought to apologize. Normally we would let you recover for another week to allow you to stay with us for the full interrogation. However, the doctor said your rate of recovery was swift, and as we are running short on time, we need answers now." He stopped, his body silhouetted by the light coming from the double doors leading into the chamber. "So, make it easy on yourself. Tell us why you killed Emperor Lelouch."

"Never."

"As you wish." His hand once again pointed to the console, and the electricity returned, this time for a few seconds longer. "Let us be frank, Mr. Kururugi. I have no desire to kill you. If you would just answer a few questions, surely we could let you be on your way."

"Let me be on my way, huh? That's probably the stupidest line I've heard yet." The man at the console flicked the switch again, this time without orders. Suzaku strained to ignore the pain that was wracking his body. When his twitching stopped, the shadow-man continued.

"I see that we will be getting nowhere with the usual method. Robens, You know the drill." The man at the console smiled, a sadistic smile that Suzaku was surprised the man could wear. All thought was driven out of his mind, however, as the nerve wracking pain returned, this time twice as forceful as before. Suzaku struggled to cut through the haze, but managed to keep himself aware. The pain dragged on, and on. In the back of his head a voice beckoned him to talk, to say something to save himself. He clamped down on it until the pain stopped. His mouth remained stoically closed. "I don't understand what this loyalty to Lelouch is. You were fed up enough with him to kill him in the end, so why not just tell us?" The man waited, but still received no response. "Perhaps all that time as his knight was just a ploy to get close to him and kill him?" No sign of recognition came across Suzaku's face. "No? Perhaps you tired of his policies?" He looked again at Suzaku. "No, that can't be it. There must be something else. Tell me, Suzaku Kururugi. TELL ME!" The man's frustration was palatable in his voice, and Suzaku still remained silent. "I guess not." He sighed and nodded to Robens. Robens gleefully flicked a few different switches on the console before throwing the main one.

Suzaku felt every fiber of his body expanding and contracting at lightning fast speeds, his pain nerves going into overdrive. The voice in the back of his head now shouted above everything else. _LIVE! YOU MUST LIVE! SPEAK! _The red rings of Geass burned around his eyes. Suzaku clenched his teeth. _No... NO. I WILL NOT BETRAY HIM. _Suzaku bent the force of the Geass with his sheer willpower, channeling its message down to the very cells of his body. The pain grew even more vigorous as more nerves came back on-line. It soon became too much, even for his disciplined mind. Blackness seeped into his vision and overtook him

* * *

**To be Continued...**


	4. Chapter 4

**Chapter Four**

* * *

"DAMMIT ROBENS!" The unfortunate Robens could feel the intensity of the man's glare. "I told you not to keep it on for too long!"

"Sorry sir," the man whimpered. "But he shouldn't've blacked out!"

"He wasn't fully recovered! I told you that in the beginning!"

"But even so! It's not my fault!" The man in the shadows growled in displeasure. But despite his anger, he couldn't blame Robens. He had thought Suzaku would last a lot longer under the strain. He took up a thoughtful pose, gently stroking his chin as he tried to come up with an explaination.

_Perhaps he hadn't recovered as much as I thought. But something bothers me... The red rings around his eyes during the last half a minute or so before he blacked out almost certainly mean Geass. But why would they come then? If Lelouch had Geassed him into not divulging information, then it would have shown up the minute I asked him a question. No, I think it traces back further, perhaps to the recording from Shikine Island. Suzaku plainly said that he must live, when all other personality indicators said he would obey orders and die with Zero. Then maybe that was the Geass Lelouch used on him, the command that he must live. That would explain why it surfaced when it did. But if it really was, then why didn't he talk? That would make the most sense if the command was to live. Maybe he knew we wouldn't kill him. How? Is there a way he could suppress it long enough to pass out, then let it kick in to save his brain from shutting down completely? What else could he do with it? _He snarled in frustration. Robens jumped in surprise, then sank lower into his chair. _Damn it. Every time I come down here, Suzaku does this to me. It's as if that man is made of unanswerable questions. But for now, gaining the answers to the unanswerable will have to wait._

_ "_Come, Robens. I do not hold you responsible for this debacle. We will get another chance at him later. For now, we have a more important task ahead of us." The man stepped back into the corner, retrieving his black cloak and donning it, obscuring all of his features. Robens followed him cautiously as he walked out of the room.

**Kozuki House, the next morning:**

Lelouch sat alone at the dining room table, sipping a glass of orange juice. Kallen had left for school about an hour earlier, and her mother had just went through the door to go to work a few minutes ago. The doorbell rang. Lelouch set his glass down, and went to the door. When he opened it, the only thing to greet him was a brown box. He picked it up and went back inside. He set it on the table and opened it. As expected, the helmet of Zero looked implacably up at him. _The delivery agent was a little early. That could have been a problem. _He took it out of the box, running his hand along the smooth metal. _Other than that, however, I have no complaints. This is even finer workmanship than my first helmet. _He put it on, hearing the metal plates on the back click into place. _Wow. They've really improved the padding on this thing too. I barely even notice its weight. _He moved his head around in circles, seeing how the helmet felt in different positions. _Excellent. Now, to test those functions I asked them to put in. _Lelouch pushed the voice command button on the bottom lip of his helmet.

"Activate command console." At once, half a dozen green windows popped up on the helmet's screen. As he expected, all but one read NO INPUT in big red letters. The last, in the bottom left, showed him a map of his surroundings, with his position marked with a yellow arrow_. Huh. So the map works even without any data. Excellent. _"Close all data boxes. Open radio link with this unit." Lelouch waited a second before beginning. "Testing." He didn't hear anything come out of the helmet's internal speaker. _Hmmm... _He looked in the box_. _Under the sea of packing peanuts, he found a small button with a clip. He flicked the on/off switch on the back and pushed the button. He spoke into the helmet again. "Test-" The screech of a feedback loop caused him to cringe. He quickly pushed the button again. _Well, at least I know that works. The last thing to do is see how it all looks. _Taking off his helmet, Lelouch made his way into Kallen's room. He found the Zero outfit stuffed in the back of her closet, presumably to hide it. He took it out and changed into the bodysuit. It fit snugly in most places, but as it was originally fitted for a woman, it was somewhat loose in the chest area. Fortunately, his cape did a good job of covering that particular detail up, and as he looked into the mirror, he was pleased with how his adjustments had turned out. He slipped on the mask, completing the outfit. _Good. Now that I have Mrs. Kozuki's permission and the Zero outfit prepared, I am ready for tonight's performance._

**Black Knights HQ: **

Jeremiah Gottwald strode into the main foyer. All around him, people stopped and turned to stare at him. Despite the smooth transition of power after Lelouch's death that he had facilitated, most people still remembered him as being a symbol of Lelouch's tyranny. While his knight protected him personally, Jeremiah had been his enforcer in the field, and carried out many of his heinous policies. Despite his peaceful fade into obscurity after Empress Nunally pardoned him for his actions, many still held his time serving the emperor against him. Everything was suddenly silent, save for the sound of his footsteps, and a lighter echo of them coming from Anya as she followed him in. Jeremiah approached the front desk.

"I wish to see Zero. I assume he is here?" The secretary looked at his half mechanical face for a moment before responding.

"I'm sorry, but you'll have to wait a while. Zero is a very busy man."

"I don't think you understand me. I need to see him NOW."

"I'm sorry sir, but I cannot let you."

"It is of the utmost importance. I must talk to him."

"I'm sorry, but you must wait." By this time, the people still in the foyer had begun whispering to each other. Jeremiah grimaced and leaned onto her desk, propping himself up on both arms.

"Now see here, miss. I don't want this to turn into more of a grand spectacle for our audience out there. So why don't you just tell me where he is?"

"I cannot." He bowed his head and sighed in frustration.

"There has got to be a way to get to him quickly."

"Well, I suppose I could call the officer of the day and see if he could clear you."

"WELL THEN YOU HAD BETTER GET HIM DOWN HERE ON THE DOUBLE!" Jeremiah leaned even farther over the desk, so that he was right in her face. Until then she had managed to keep her composure, but the sight of his enraged features just inches away from her face push ed her over the edge. She began trembling in fear of him, slowly trying to back away but finding herself caught between him and the back of her seat.

*Click*

Jeremiah froze in place.

"Recorded." He relaxed and straightened back up, much to the Secretary's relief.

"You always do that at the most annoying times."

"It keeps my memories interesting." Anya put away her little camera. Jeremiah sighed and turned back to the secretary.

"Alright then. I will wait for the officer."

He didn't have to wait long before the officer arrived. He was a fairly nondescript man, about average height, muscular but not bulky, and a smooth face. There was little unusual about him save for a thin white streak running right along the left edge of his parted black hair.

"Ah, Mister Gottwald, is it?"

"Yes."

"Please come with me." Jeremiah motioned for Anya to follow him. The people in the foyer made sure to stay well clear of him as they walked into the main elevator. The officer pushed the button for basement, and the elevator began to descend.

"I didn't know Zero's office was underground."

"The entire basement complex is an underground bunker. In case of attack, all personnel would make their way there to take cover. His office can also double as a command center during that situation."

"That was an excellent idea on the part of the designers."

"Quite so. Now, unfortunately we're going to have to search you for hidden weapons when we get down there. We already know about your built in one, but I'm confident that the guards in his office will be able to handle that if you decide to try to use it."

"I see."

"We will have to search your companion as well." Jeremiah turned to the girl.

"Anya?"

"That will be fine. I would like to keep my camera though." A beep and an electronic voice from the speaker informed them of their arrival at the basement.

"I don't think that will be a problem." The officer replied. The door opened. "Please, come this way." He led them down a short, gray corridor into a small, but empty room. Six guards were waiting for them, wearing Black Knights uniform, hats, and visors. Two of them carried thick black rods that Jeremiah assumed were metal detecting wands. The officer motioned the two carrying the wands forward.

"Won't my metal parts set off the wands?"

"Some of them, yes. We're going to scan your organic side first, then do a feel down test on your metal side."

"Ah." one of the men approached him, and began running the wand over the living half of his body. Shortly after the guard had moved on to his back, Jeremiah heard Anya shout a short warning

"Look-" He turned, but not fast enough. The rod connected with the back of his neck and threw him to the ground. _Anya! _ He managed to spot her out of the corner of his eye, kicking one of the guards in the stomach. Then, he felt a boot connect with his temple, and saw no more.

The office was quiet at this time of the day. Almost everyone was out on their lunch break. However, Tohdoh knew that the next person he needed to recruit didn't leave the office from the moment he walked in until his work was done at five. He made his way through the field of desks till he reached the one in the back corner.

"Aizawa."

"Colonel Tohdoh? What brings you to supply and procurement at this time of day?" Tohdoh leaned down on his desk and began speaking in a hushed voice.

"I need your help. I'm getting together a group of people for a secret operation that needs to be extremely discreet. No one other than me in this building can know that it is going on."

"What kind of operation?" Aizawa matched his tone.

"A capture op. We're going to take out the CEO." Aizawa's eyes widened.

"So he's..."

"Not all he seems. Yes. Can I rely on you to participate in this?"

"Yes, colonel, I am willing to take part in this mission." Tohdoh smiled.

"Glad to have you with us, Aizawa. The briefing will be at Kallen's house at nineteen hundred hours." Tohdoh straightened up and turned to leave.

"Colonel. This is the best thing to do, right?"

"Of course it is." He began walking. "If we don't do it now, then we'll have to do it later." Tohdoh left the room. _That wraps it up for this wing of the building. No one has turned me down yet, so __I think the secrecy of our group is not compromised yet. _The hallways were empty as he walked down them, until he reached the main foyer. Everyone was bunched into little groups, talking intently but in hushed tones about something that he couldn't quite make out. _I wonder what's going on? People don't usually stick around too much in the foyer. _He made his way over to one of the groups, standing near the main desk. He tapped one of the people on the shoulder. A blonde haired woman turned to look at him.

"What's going on?"

"Oh, didn't you hear?" Tohdoh hadn't. "That Jeremiah Gottwald fellow just came through here. You know, the one that was Lelouch's iron fist? He was demanding to see Zero, and he certainly was adamant about it. Scared the secretary out of her wits it looked like. Poor girl. Anyway, he was escorted into the elevator by some colonel I've never seen before. Oh, and he had a little pink haired girl following him everywhere. Quite the odd pair if I do say so myself." Tohdoh nodded.

"Thanks." He walked away.

"What a strange fellow." The woman turned back to her group's discussion. Tohdoh, in the mean time, was in deep thought. _If he was taken away by an officer, that almost certainly means he is now in Zero's custody. He knows too much about Lelouch, and if he is tortured and he talks, things could get ugly. And his companion, she's almost certainly Anya. If he brought her along, it would be to make sure she remained safe, and maybe to make sure he had backup. Why would he need to bring her? Why would he come here in the first place? I'll have to bring this up with Lelouch. Maybe he'll have some ideas. There's nothing to be done for them now, though. We'll just have to rescue them with Suzaku when the time comes. _

Tohdoh was about to leave the foyer when his cell phone rang in his pocket. He sighed and pulled it out.

"Yes." He answered in a disgruntled voice.

_"Colonel, I can't stall them any longer. Ops has asked for your report on the exercise yesterday at least ten times by now, and they're starting to get angry. To make matters worse, the chief mechanic is currently at my desk and demanding to know where the Guren and Zangetsu are." T_he voiceof a Britannian woman, his personal aide, came back over the phone.

"Put the chief mechanic on the line." Tohdoh heard the phone change hands.

_"Is this courlnel Tohdoh?" _The mechanic's voice was gruff and not in the least bit friendly.

"Speaking. What is the problem?"

_"Well, you see the boys and I have got a wee question they'd like answered." _The man carried a heavy Irish accent.

"If you're wondering about the Knightmares, they are still in the field. It was taking too long for the battery to drain, so we went home. We're running a diagnostic program so that you and your crew won't be missing anything."

_"I see. And I suppose you've got somethin' that'll be tellin' us when they run out of power too?" _His voice was patronizing.

"Yes, in fact we do. And I'm sure you have better things to do than harass my aide. Get back to your machines chief mechanic. Dismissed." The mechanic let out an elongated sigh.

_"Yes serr." _the phone was passed back to his aide.

_"Colonel, I just got another request for your report from Ops."_

"Okay Anne, I'll be up to file that report now. See you in a few minutes." Tohdoh closed the phone.

**Zero's Office:**

"All the preparations have been made. We merely await your arrival on site to begin, my lord." Zero sat in his chair, his hands folded.

"Excellent. I will be there tomorrow. You are dismissed." The man saluted and left. Zero turned his head to the figure leaning against the wall, staying in the shadows of his office. "I assume that our buildup is complete in most areas?"

"It will be enough, if there are no complications."

"Then make sure there are none. This was your plan, and I will hold you fully responsible if it fails. It would be a shame for our plans to fall into ruin for such a simple a mistake as striking too soon."

"I can assure you that it will not. You shall be ruler of a united world within two days, my lord."

"Good. " The ersatz Zero went back to his paperwork for awhile before he was interrupted by his personal secretary's voice coming in over the intercom.

"Colonel Perkins to see you."

"Please, let him in."

The door slid open.

"Ah, colonel-" Zero suddenly stopped as the man entered. His face was badly bruised, and dried blood stained the sides of his mouth. Zero noticed that his usually well kept hair was now tossed every which way. The white streak he normally kept at the front of his part now hung over his face, splotched red with blood. Despite his injuries and the obvious discomfort they caused him, he came to a halt at an excellent military attention. "What happened to you?"

"I got into a bit of a tussle with a little girl, my lord." Zero cocked his head to the side in confusion.

"Explain."

"Well, my lord, I recieved a call from the front desk that a certain Jeremiah Gottwald was demanding to see Zero. Knowing his close association with the old Zero, and his apparent refusal to join our cause, I decided on my own initiative to apprehend him."

"The correct choice, colonel. However, I wish to know how you knew of his refusal?"

"The agents that were sent to his house were some of my men. I would not think it unusual to know what your men are doing, and to have a good guess as to why they died."

"Quite understandable then. Please, continue."

"My problem came in the actual apprehension. The plan was simple, to have it appear as if it was a routine scan for weapons, then surprise him and his companion and knock them out with a blow to the back of the head. The flaw, as usual, came in the execution. I and my men all seemingly underestimated the person who he had with him, a small girl who I now know to be Anya Alstreim**. **The man I had inspecting Gottwald moved a little too soon, and she noticed him in time to dodge the blow coming down on her and even shout a short warning. Luckily, we managed to down Gottwald without a fight, but the girl sent four of my men to the infirmary and put myself in the state you see now."

"A pity. However, the end result is good enough. Thank you for bringing this to my attention, colonel. You may take the rest of the day off." Perkins saluted crisply, but winced and doubled over a second later, clutching his side. "Oh, and stop it with the ridiculous military precision. If it's going to hurt you more, don't do it."

"Thank you... sir... I'll be sure to take that advice." He limped out of the office, still clutching his side. Zero watched as he left, then turned to his adviser in the shadows.

"What do you make of that?"

"Gottwald was closely associated with Lelouch. We might be able to get the information Suzaku refused to divulge out of him."

"Yes..." Zero trailed off in thought.

"I would like to get on that as soon as possible, my lord."

"No, wait a few days. Gottwald will need to recover. Knowing your rather... strenuous methods, I think it would be best if we waited until he was in reasonably good health."

"But, my lord, If we were to interrogate him now, we surely could-"

"Not yet, my friend. I would rather not kill him because we moved too soon."

"But if we don't move soon, we'll lose the chance to find out."

"Your plan will work, yes?"

"Yes..."

"Then there is no problem. In two days time, this base will be overrun by our forces, and then you will have all the time you want to extract the information from Gottwald. You will wait." The man in the shadows gritted his teeth.

"As you wish, my lord." He injected a subtle tone of sarcasm into his voice. "But soon enough," He muttered to himself, "It will be all as _I_ wish."

* * *

**Many thanks to everyone who has reviewed, either pointing out a mistake of mine or giving encouraging statements. People like you give me a good reason to keep writing these things. It's really nice to have a few people who like it enough to say so (I'm surprised I haven't seen more dislike reviews. Maybe I shouldn't be asking for them though...) Anyway, thanks again, and see you all next chapter!**


End file.
